The Last Man Standing
by Robobrony
Summary: A circus has come to Ponyville. Twilight and friends go with hopes of having a good time. What they didn't expect was making friends with one of the side show attractions.
1. Chapter 1

**The Last Man Standing**

**Chapter One: Sideshow Attraction**

A circus had come to town. Ponies of all ages were flocking to a large circus tent set up just outside Ponyville to see a great show. Twilight, Spike and her friends were among the crowd. "I can't belive it!" Spike exclaimed happily. "A circus came to Ponyville." He had a cone of cotton candy in his claw as he walked next to Twilight.

"This is exciting, I've never been to a circus before." Twilight informed with a smile. She had a bag of peanuts levitating next to her. Every once in a while she'd levitate a few out of her bag and eat them.

"Me neither, I'm sure we're all gonna have a great time." Applejack said.

"Oh, I can't wait to see what kind of animals they have." Fluttershy stated.

"I can't wait to see the clowns." Pinkie said as she carried a large amount of cotton candy on her paper cone, it was bigger than she was. Her mouth opened wide to an unbelievable size and ate half the amount she had.

"I can't wait to see the stunts they're going to do." Rainbow said as she hovered the others.

"And have you seen the fashion they have? So spectacular and glittery." Rarity stated.

As the group drew closer, they saw many posters advertising all the things to see. A flying trapeze act, lion and tiger taming, a tight rope walker, and many others were on display. But what was really getting everypony's attention was one poster in particular that was promising something never seen before.

The girls soon found their seats in the stands and sat together. The lights dimmed and a spotlight came on. A unicorn stallion in a black top hat, and red vest stood at the center. He had a beige coat and white mane and tail. His cutie mark was of a red and white ring. "Mares and gentlecolts!" He announced. "On this day, we are here to wow you with feats of heroism and bravery, danger and mystery, but most of all, to entertain each and every one of you! Welcome my friends, TO THE CIRCUS!" Right as he said the last word, a cannon fired and an earth pony flew over his head from the side. He landed in a net and music started up as elephants walked in from behind him.

The elephants performed a few tricks with balls and rings while a few ponies directed them. Every pony cheered as the elephants performed their tricks. After a few stunts, the elephants left the ring and a few more stallions and mares came in wearing spandex. The stallions galloped around while the mare's rode on them performing flips and jumps. "Wow, look at that precision." Twilight pointed out.

"Not bad." Rainbow commented.

Spike had a big grin as he watched the ponies perform. "Wow, cool."

"Ooh, fancy." Pinkie said.

After the ponies finished their routine and received a round of applause, the next act began to set up. A large cage was set up with two stands with stars and a large hoop at the center. A tiger was then brought out in a smaller cage and let into the bigger one. It growled as it made its way around the cage. A unicorn stallion with a chair and whip levitating around him entered the cage and approached the tiger. The girls watched in awe. "Oh my." Fluttershy let out.

"No way." Spike said.

As the stallion drew closer, the tiger growled and swiped at him. The stallion used his whip to get the tiger to listen. "Hah, hah, jump." The tiger jumped through the hoop onto the other platform on the other side. "Come on now, hah!" The stallion declared as he whipped his whip.

"Oh dear, that doesn't seem very nice." Fluttershy observed.

"Relax Fluttershy, it's just an act." Rainbow commented.

"But couldn't the stallion just ask the lion to do what he wants?" Fluttershy asked.

"Fluttershy dear, that tiger is dangerous. While simply talking to it may work for you, that stallion needs some other way to get the tiger to do what he wants. Hence the whip." Rarity explained to try and ease her friend.

"Besides, these circuses take real good care of the animals they have." Twilight explained further.

The next act began and it was a flying trapeze. Fluttershy had her eyes closed for the most part while Rainbow enjoyed every second of it. She loved how the earth ponies managed to flip in the air and spin as if they really were flying.

Then there was an act with a bear that was more cooperative as it rode around on a tricycle wearing a funny outfit. Fluttershy enjoyed that one and Pinkie Pie was laughing up a storm.

Then came the clowns. A small care with a wind up key drove in and, one by one, an impossible number of ponies started climbing out of it. It was a wonder how even one clown got into it in the first place since it was smaller than a pony, not even a filly could fit in it. The clowns performed many funny stunts and things. Some even made their way into the audience. One clown came up to Pinkie Pie and offered to let her smell a flower he had on his vest. "Why thank you." Pinkie said happily.

She leaned in to get a good whiff when the flower suddenly squirted water in her face. She was surprised at first but then laughed along with everypony else at the gag. "HA HA, that clown got you good Pinkie." Rainbow said.

Pinkie giggled with a snort. "Heh heh hah *Snort* He sure did. That was a good one Mr. Clown." The clown gave a light bow and moved on.

Many acts went on and soon, the ring master took center stage. "Mares and gentlecolts, we now come to the climax of our show! Today, I present to you a creature the likes of which had never been seen before by pony eyes!" A tall rectangular object covered by a red fabric was pulled out by a pair of stallions.

"A new creature?" Fluttershy asked.

"I wonder what that could be." Applejack wondered out loud.

"Oh wow, a new creature?" Twilight asked. "This is amazing, I wonder what it looks like."

The ring master continued. "No pony knows what this creature is, nor does anypony know where it came from. On this day, you get to see this thing with your very own eyes. Behold, the unkown!" On the last word, the ring master used his magic to pull off the red fabric to reveal a rectangular cage holding a strange being inside.

Everypony gasped at its sight. A tall five foot creature stood before them. It had short brown hair on the top of its head, blue eyes, pale pink skin and a little hair along its arms and on its chest. The only clothing it wore was a pair of baggy light brown pants being held on by nothing more than a mere rope. It had long appendages with stringy things at the end and stood on two legs. It had a pair of metal shackles on its wrists with chains connected from the shackles to the floor of the cage. "Celestia knows where such a thing came from, this thing is a mystery even to me. This is without a doubt, a very big mystery as to what it is and where it came from."

The show soon ended and everypony filed out of the tent, most spread out around it to see the circus animals or meet with the performers, Twilight and friends included. "Wow, did you see how those ponies were flying through the air?" Spike said with glee. "It's almost like they were flying."

"And what bout that there tight rope walker, I thought fer sure she would fall off. I didn't think it possible to have such balance." Applejack commented.

"I absolutely adored their costumes." Rarity commented. "Did you see how some of them sparkled?" She practically swooned.

"Leave it to Rarity to make the biggest deal out of the costumes and not pay attention to the action." Rainbow quipped.

"I liked the clowns, they were so funny. Especially that one that got me with the squirting flower. Wonder why I never thought of a prank like that?" Pinkie said.

"We totally have to try that one out." Rainbow added.

The group soon came to a large wagon cage that caused them to stop in their tracks. Inside was the strange creature everypony saw near the end of the show. It had its back to them as it sat down and was leaning back against the bars of its cell. "Look, it's that strange creature we saw." Spike pointed out.

The group drew closer. "So what do ya think it is?" Applejack asked.

"I don't know." Rarity answered.

"Ooh, ooh, I know!" Pinkie exclaimed with a hop. "It's a new species of tiger."

The others looked at her curiously. "Seriously Pinkie?" Rainbow asked. "it doesn't look anything like a tiger."

"That poor creature, having to suffer with such terrible attire." Rarity pointed out.

"Maybe it's a kind of monkey?" Fluttershy offered.

What they weren't seeing was the creature was clenching its teeth and balling a fist as they talked, trying to figure out its species.

"A monkey?" Twilight asked. "Well, its structure is similar to that of an ape of some kind."

The creature quickly turned around and grasped the bars of its cage with its appendages. "I'm a human all right?!" it exclaimed in frustration. The sound of the voice was male. After he said that, he turned his head to the side with his eyes closed.

The girls and Spike gasped. "You can talk?" Rarity asked.

"You're a human?" Spike asked. "What's a human?" He asked again.

The creature, identified as human, released the bars and sat indian style. "Yeah, I'm a human and I can talk. But I'm not supposed to. Just do me a favor. If you see the ring master, don't tell him I said anything to you. I'm not supposed to talk to the customers." He then retook his position with his back against the bars.

"But, why not?" Rainbow asked.

"Yeah, and if you can talk, why are ya locked up in a cage like this?" Applejack asked.

The human looked at them over his shoulder. "Because, he says it adds mystery to me or something. If I don't do what he says, he'll make sure I go hungry tonight and won't feed me."

"That's horrible." Pinkie said. "What kind of meanie denies food?"

"The ring master, that's who." The human retorted.

"Well I think this is wrong. You're obviously sentient like us. You shouldn't be treated like this."

"Yeah, and what are you going to do about it?" The human asked.

Before she could answer, the ring master approached the girls. "Hello my dears, thank you for coming to our show. I trust you all enjoyed it?" He asked with a smile as he placed himself between the group and the human.

The girls and Spike were glaring at the ring master.

"Is something wrong? You don't look too happy. Was the show not to your liking?" He asked as he saw the glares.

"Actually, we did like the show." Twilight said.

The ring master smiled. "Good, I'm glad to hear it. But then, why do you seem upset?"

"Because of how you're treating this poor creature." Fluttershy pointed out. "It isn't very nice."

"Why whatever do you mean?" The ring master asked.

"We know all about how your treating that human." Twilight said.

The ring master seemed surprised at first, then a scowl formed, which was quickly replaced with a smile. "My dears, I have no idea what you're talking about. What makes you think this thing is a….what did you call it….human?"

The human looked back with a bit of worry. He was fully facing the group again.

"Because he told us." Rainbow said.

"Yeah, he said about how you would deny him food just fer talking. That aint right mister." Applejack said with a scowl.

The ringmaster's smile faded. "I see, so he spoke to you." He gave a side glance to the human. He then turned around to face the human completely. "Didn't I say no talking to the customers or you won't be fed the next meal?"

"Come on boss, give me a break." The human pleaded. "I'm sick of ponies coming up to my cage trying to guess what I am. I just….exploded is all. Please don't make me go hungry again."

"Sorry my boy, you know the rules." The ringmaster stated.

"Now see here." Rarity said. "Just who do you think you are treating a sentient being like this."

"That's right, it isn't nice." Twilight pointed out. "In fact, I demand you release him at once." She said with a stomp of her hoof.

The ring master faced them again. "Excuse me? You must be joking. Who do you think you are to tell me what to do? This human is this circus's main attraction. I'm not about to give up the one thing that brings in the big bits."

"Please just go, you've already gotten me in trouble." The human stated.

Twilight ignored the human's words. "Really? Well I think princess Celestia wouldn't approve of this."

"Princess Celestia? HA! Like she would care about some unknown creature like this. Besides, how would you get in touch with the princess? I doubt she would listen to a nopony like you. HA HA HA!" The ring master laughed in Twilight's face.

"I'll have you know Twilight here happens to be princess Celestia's personal student." Rainbow pointed out as she hovered in front of the ring master's face.

"Her, Celestia's personal student? HA! Sure she is, and I'm the prince of candy land." The ring master shot back.

"Really? Cool, can I come visit your kingdome sometime?" Pinkie asked with a grin.

"Everpony knows Celestia only has one personal student, and her name is Twilight Sparkle. You are just a nobody pony."

"Funny you should say that partner." Applejack said with a smirk. "Did ya even bother ta ask fer our names?"

"Why? Is it important?" The ringmaster asked with a smirk.

"As a matter of fact it is, Mr. Smarty flank." Rainbow retorted.

"My name just so happens to be Twilight Sparkle. And these are my friends, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie, and this is Spike." Twilight gestured to each of the ponies she introduced.

The ring master stopped his laughing. "Wait….THE Twilight Sparkle?" He wasn't smiling anymore.

"That's her." Pinkie said with a smile.

The ring master smirked. "Sure you are. The only way I'll belive that is if Princess Celestia herself tells me."

"Fine." Twilight stated with a confident smile. She used her magic to summon a scroll and quill. "Spike, take a message please."

"With Pleasure." Spike took hold of the parchment and quill. Twilight dictated and Spike wrote everything down. Once he finished, he breathed green flames out onto the scroll and caused it to turn to smoke that rose into the air, swirled around, then vanished.

The ring master was still skeptical. "Look, unless princess Celestia herself appears before me.." As he said that Celestia appeared behind the ring master. "And tells me that you are her personal student, I'm not about to believe it."

Upon Celestia's appearance, the human was left dumbfounded. "Whoa." He gazed upon her, even though he was only seeing the back of her. He was still left in wonder of her appearance.

"Ahem." Celestia cleared her throat.

The ring master slowly turned around with a bit of nervousness etched on his face. Once he beheld the princess, he jumped back in fear. "Your highness, what…what a pleasure to have you here. To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" He asked with a bow.

Celestia did not look pleased as she looked down at the unicorn. "My student, Twilight Sparkle, tells me you have a sentient being in your custody that is not being treated well. Care to explain that?"

The circus owner rose from his bow. "Now princess, please understand, it was a deal we made."

"Deal my ass!" the human stated. Everypony looked in his direction. The princess turned to face him. "You tricked me into this you weasel."

Celestia looked back to the ponies. "Girls, is that the creature that was mentioned?"

"It is princess." Twilight informed.

"I see." She then faced the ring master. "You are to release this being from his confines immediately."

"But…your highness….." He tried to argue, only to receive a hard glare from the princess. He cringed and finally relented. "Of course….your majesty." The unicorn summoned a ring with keys. He walked up to the cage and opened the door to the wagon cell. He then removed the shackles on his wrists.

The human walked out and stood before the ponies. "Greetings human, I am princess Celestia of Equestria. I am terribly sorry for the treatment this pony has given you. I can assure you, such treatment is frowned upon. I give you my humblest apologies."

The human gave a smile to the princess and bowed. "It's all right your majesty, I thank you and these mares for helping me like this. You have no idea how long I've been under the hoof of this A-hole. Forgive my language."

"How did you end up like this? Where do you come from if I may ask?" Celestia stated.

"Well….it's kind of a long story, well….maybe not that long. Let's see, from what I have gathered during my time here, I'm in a whole other world. How I got here is still a bit of a mystery, but I can tell you what I was doing when I ended up in this world. You see, I come from a planet called earth. There, humans are the dominant species, and such creatures like yourself don't exist. I used to be part of a band back in my world. We were famous, made lots of money, I had a great life going for me. One day, when the band was taking an extended break from concerts and such, I used my money to get myself a boat and wanted to explore a strange part of the ocean. It was a stupid decision I know, but I tended to make stupid decisions. Anyway, I got a boat and the area of water I wanted to explore was known as the Bermuda triangle."

"It's a mysterious area because most of the time, any boat or plane that goes through it has a habit of disappearing without a trace. I was on a boat on my own, sailing though the area, when all of a sudden, this big whirlpool appears out of nowhere and sucks my ship up. Next thing I know, I wake up in this world lying on my back. When I finally found the strength to get up, I started looking around to try and find out where I was. I happen upon a circus during my excursion and run into this unicorn and his troupe. Needless to say I was surprised to find a unicorn standing before me, as well as pegasia, even more surprised to find they could talk."

"This jerk says he's willing to help me out and help me figure out what might have happened. He gives me these promises of helping me get back home and giving me a place to stay while I'm here until I can get home. Next thing I know, I end up in a cage with shackles and nothing but these baggy pants on. Plus, he took away my guitar!" The human shouted the last part. "And here I am. I've been part of his circus for six months now. Even if I were to find a way back home, everyone there most likely thinks I'm dead by now."

The girls, princess, and Spike all looked sadly at him. "I'm terribly sorry. I wish I had known of you sooner, perhaps I could have helped you get home as soon as you got here." Celestia offered.

"It's all right your majesty." The human said. "These things happen. True I do wish I could have found a way home a lot sooner and not get stuck as a sideshow freak in a circus, but it did, and nothing can change that."

Celestia gave a smile.

The human then turned to the ring master and closed in on him. In size, the human's face was almost at even with the ring master. "As for you." He said. He then raised a fist and punched the unicorn in the side of the face, causing him to fall to the ground. Everyone gasped in surprise. "THAT'S for tricking me and turning me into a side show attraction!" He then kicked the unicorn in the stomach. "And that's for taking my guitar."

Rainbow and Applejack quickly rushed over and grabbed the human. Rainbow hovered up and grabbed him from under his arms while Applejack grabbed his waist and both pulled him back. "Easy there partner, calm down." Applejack said.

"Wast that really necessary?" Rarity asked.

"Hey, it made me feel better, so yeah." The human responded.

"That was uncalled for." Celestia said as she frowned at the human.

"I'm sorry your majesty, but I owed him for six months of enslavement and stealing from me." the human stated.

"Are you done then?" Rainbow asked.

"Yeah, I'm done, you can let me go now." The human stated. Applejack and Rainbow released their grip. "Just so the rest of you know, I'm normally not a violent guy, but that….son of a….mule…" He opted to censor himself in the presence of the mares and little dragon. "….has caused me nothing but pain."

"Even so, such violence was not necessary." Celestia said. "You could have merely voice your feelings instead of resulting to violence."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." The human said as he looked to the side. He looked forward again as he remembered something. He walked up to the ringmaster as he still lay on the ground, holding his stomach. "Where's my guitar?" He asked angrily.

"In my wagon….in the closet." The unicorn gasped out.

The human raised his fist and made like he was going to punch him again. The girls gasped and the pony flinched. The human smirked. "Tch, made ya flinch." He then walked away to the ring master's wagon which was close by. He entered the wagon and, moments later, came out with an acoustic guitar strapped to his back. "Aahh, that's better." The girls, Spike and the princess came up to him as he stepped away from the wagon.

"Now that that is all settled, I believe there is still the matter of introductions." Celestia stated. "You already know my name. Allow me to introduce the others." Celestia went around saying each ponies name while pointing to them. "So, what is your name?" She asked.

"The names Nathan."

**AN: And here we have the first chapter of my latest human in Equestria fic. Waring, there will most likely be shipping. If you do not approve of that, turn away now. Also, I just wanted to say that I had this idea for a while as well and am glad to finally get to it. I hope you all will enjoy this one.**


	2. Chapter Two: A Helping Hoof

**The Last Man Standing**

**Chapter Two: A Helping Hoof**

"It is a pleasure to meet you Nathan." Celestia said with a smile.

"A pleasure to meet you as well. I can't thank you enough for getting me out of that predicament." Nathan said.

"Well then, I shall leave you in the care of my student and her friends then so they may properly assist you in integrating into our society. I must be going now, royal duties call. Welcome to Equestria Nathan." Celestia said. She lit up her horn and, in a brilliant flash, teleported away.

"Wow, that princess sure likes to make an exit." Nathan said. "So….does this mean I have to stick with you girls?" He asked as he looked over the group. "Not that I'm complaining." He then added.

"Darn tootin partner." Applejack answered with a smile.

"Don't worry, you're in very capable hooves." Twilight said, also with a smile.

"Not like I have anywhere else to go, so where to?" Nathan asked.

The group started walking as they talked. "We're going to Ponyville darling, it's our hometown." Rarity informed.

"It's a great place. Everypony there is so friendly and nice." Pinkie said as she hopped along with the group.

"It's a small town, but it is nice." Twilight informed. "Though you may get some odd looks once we get there."

"Hey, I'm used to it by now. I've been gawked at by ponies for six months while at that cirOW!" Nathan suddenly called out in mid-sentence. He fell to the ground on his butt and held his foot. He then sucked in air through his teeth making a hissing sound as he held his foot. "Ah."

"Oh my gosh, are you okay?" Pinkie asked. The girls and Spike gathered around him in worry.

"Oh my, darling, are you all right?" Rarity then asked.

"What happened?" Applejack asked.

"Aahh, I think I stepped on something sharp." Nathan answered. He managed to pull his foot close to where he could look at the bottom of it. He saw a small piece of glass sticking out of his foot. There was a broken bottle of apple juice nearby on the ground. "Aw man, son of a bitch that hurt."

The group looked at him curiously for his choice of language.

He noticed the looks he was getting from them and responded. "Sorry, human language, probably best you not repeat that stuff."

"If you say so. We need to tend to your injury now though so let's get going." Twilight said. "Can you walk?"

"Yeah, but it won't be easy going." Nathan responded.

"Come on then, get up and I'll let you ride on my back." Applejack offered.

Nathan looked at her curiously. "Are you sure?"

"Course I am, I wouldn't have offered if'n I weren't." Applejack stated with a smile.

Rarity and Rainbow helped Nathan stand back up and got him on Applejack's back. "You sure I'm not too heavy?" Nathan asked.

"Don't worry bout it, I'm stronger than I look." Applejack responded.

"Thanks, you ponies sure are nice." Nathan stated.

"Man, you humans aren't very durable are you?" Rainbow Dash asked. Her question was met with a light glare from Twilight. "What?"

"Rainbow, that wasn't very nice." Twilight said.

Nathan interrupted. "It's fine Twilight. She's right, we humans are pretty fragile. The bottoms of our feet aren't hard like a pony's hooves. Normally, we humans walk around with shoes to protect our feet." He explained. He then gave a shiver as a gust of wind passed by and wrapped his arms around himself. "Brrr, we also normally wear clothes to protect ourselves from the elements."

"Well then, I think it's clear where we need to go first, my place." Rarity said. "We need to get you some clothes and these shoes for your feet."

"Then later, we can throw you a welcome to Ponyville party!" Pinkie Pie cheered.

"If I'm not mistaken, it's around fall isn't it?" Nathan asked.

"Yeah, it is." Spike answered.

"That would explain why it seems so cold." Nathan responded.

They soon reached Ponyville and made their way through. Just like the girls said, Nathan was getting odd looks. "Look mommy, it's that thing from the circus we saw." A little colt said. "Good heavens, what is it doing out of its cage, and why is it riding that mare?" The mother of the colt asked.

Rainbow flew over to the pair and got in the mother's face. "Hey, he's not a thing, he's a human and he's our friend. The guy was just tricked into acting like a mindless animal by that rotten ring master."

Twilight used her magic to pull Dash away from the mare by her tail. "Easy Rainbow, they'll all learn that in time." She said.

Nathan had his hands on Applejack's shoulders as she carried him through town. He could feel the muscles move about as she walked. "Wow Applejack, you weren't kidding about the stronger than you look comment. I can feel those muscles. You must be strong."

"Uh, thank ya Nathan." Applejack blushed a little at the compliment. To her relief, Nathan couldn't see it from his position.

They soon reached Rarity's boutique. "And here we are, my home sweet home." Rarity cheered. She used her magic to open the door for everypony. "Take him into the kitchen Applejack, if you would please."

"Sure thing." Applejack answered. Applejack walked to the kitchen with the others behind.

Rarity used her magic to pull out a chair from her kitchen dining table. "Have a seat here and we'll get that foot of yours treated."

Nathan climbed off Applejack's back with Dash and Pinkie Pie holding him so he wouldn't fall. He hopped over to the chair and the two set him down easy. "Thanks girls." Nathan said with an appreciative smile. He removed his guitar from his back and leaned it against the table.

"Now you just sit there a moment and I'll retrieve my first aid kit." Rarity walked over to her kitchen sink and pulled out a med kit from under it with her magic. She walked back over and set to work. She treated Nathan's small wound and wrapped his foot up with a bandage. "There we are, how does that feel now?"

"Better thanks." Nathan said. "Man, you ponies are the nicest beings I've ever met."

"Aren't humans the same way?" Spike asked.

"Some are, but some aren't. And I haven't met too many people as nice as you all are being." Nathan informed.

"Really?" Fluttershy asked. "Gosh, so….not all humans are nice then?"

"Nope." Nathan answered. "Some humans are just as nice as you lot are being while others are selfish and greedy and only care about themselves."

"Oh my, that does sound bad…the greedy part I mean." Fluttershy said.

Nathan then spoke to change the subject. "So, which one of you lucky mare's gets me as a roommate." He said jokingly.

"Ooh, ooh, me me me me!" Pinkie cheered as she waved her hooves frantically. "You can stay with me. I got plenty of room in my room at Sugarcube Corner."

"Pinkie Pie, dear, don't you think you need to ask permission from the cakes first since it's their house?" Rarity pointed out.

"Oh yeah, good point." Pinkie responded.

"Well, I don't suppose you humans can walk on clouds can you?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"No, why?" Nathan asked with a confused look.

"My home is made of clouds. Since you can't walk on clouds, then guess I'm out of the selection. Too bad too, you seem like you'd be a fun roommate." Dash added.

"I'd offer myself, but I don't have a spare room or bed." Twilight said.

"Sorry partner, but my house is out too, no extra room." Applejack said.

"I'm afraid I'm out as well, so sorry dear." Rarity stated. One by one, they each looked a little regretful that they couldn't put him up with them.

"Um…I suppose….he could stay with me…if you want to that is." Fluttershy offered.

Nathan gave a smile. "Thank you Fluttershy, I'd really appreciate that."

Fluttershy smiled back.

"Wonderful, now that that's settled, let's get to work on getting you a new wardrobe." Rarity said with a smile. "Come along Nathan, I need to take your measurements." Rarity started for the main room of her boutique.

Nathan stood up and followed her out with the others behind.

"You girls are welcome to wait here and see what I cook up if you like." Rarity offered. The girls and Spike nodded in agreement as they gathered around the main room of the boutique. Nathan followed Rarity upstairs and to her work room. "Now then, I need you to remove your pants so I may take proper measurements of your form."

"Um, I-I don't know about that, you see…..I don't have anything on underneath." Nathan said, nearly blushing.

"Oh come now dear, in case you hadn't noticed, we don't exactly normally wear clothes ourselves. It's really more for special occasions and such." Rarity said with a wave of her hoof.

"Look…..it's just….well…." Nathan stuttered. "Humans….tend to wear clothes all the time, it's considered common decency. It just seems wrong to be butt naked in front of others unless…." He stopped there.

"Nathan, darling, I assure you, you have nothing to be ashamed of, I am a professional after all." Rarity stated with a reassuring smile.

Nathan gave a defeated sigh. He blushed a little as he began to undo the rope that kept his pants up and let them drop. He quickly cupped his hands to cover his personal parts so as to keep them hidden from sight.

Rarity rolled her eyes with a smile and levitated a strip of measuring tape over. "Nathan, do remove your hands and spread out your arms so I can measure your arm lengths."

Nathan's face went a little redder. He looked up and spread his arms out. Rarity stretched out the tape and began taking measurements. "Rarity, I'm home from….." A small squeaky voice called out then stopped.

Nathan looked over to the door to the room and saw a slack jawed little white unicorn with a two toned mane of light pink and light purple with green eyes staring at him. His face went even redder. He quickly covered his shame.

"Hello Sweetie Belle, how was school?" Rarity asked casually.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" The little unicorn screamed out in a high pitched wail. "MONSTER!" She ran out of the room.

"Sweetie Belle wait!" Rarity called as she ran after the unicorn that was most likely scarred for life.

Nathan quickly pulled his pants up and tried to chase after them.

Some time later after explanations and a couple unnecessary apologies from the 'monster', things had settled down a bit. "So, you're a human?" Sweetie Belle asked. She, her sister, and Nathan were in Rarity's work room as they talked. Rarity opted to first take measurements of Nathan's upper body first.

"That's right, sorry again about the scare earlier." Nathan said with a smile.

"It's all right." The little unicorn identified as Sweetie Belle said. She then turned to her big sister. "But Rarity, how come you didn't take me to the circus with you and the other's?" She asked with sad eyes.

"Because dear, you had school today, I wasn't about to let you miss out on school." Rarity said.

"No fair." Sweetie pouted. Nathan couldn't help but find it cute. "You got to go have fun while I was in school."

"Now Sweetie Belle, I promise to make it up to you this weekend, the circus will still be in town for a while, we can go then." Rarity offered.

"Really?" Sweetie Belle perked up. "COOL! Can my friends come too?" She asked.

Rarity smiled as she answered. "I imagine we would all go again, so yes." She said, referring to her friends downstairs. "All right Nathan, I have the necessary measurements for your upper body, now I will need you to remove your pants for your lower body."

"Um, don't you think your little sister should leave for this part?" Nathan asked. "It's bad enough for me to be stripping in front of you, but a little kid?"

"Very well." Rarity stated. She turned to her sister sitting on her bed. "Sweetie dear, why don't you go stay with the girls downstairs while I take care of Nathan."

"Okay." Sweetie Belle hopped off the bed and trotted for the door. "It's nice meeting you Nathan." Sweetie Belle said before leaving.

Once the little unicorn was gone, Nathan turned his attention back to Rarity. "I can't believe you and your friends are thinking about going back to that circus, especially after how they treated me."

"Now Nathan, I know you're upset at the ring master for what he did to you, but it's all in good fun, the circus I mean. Besides, I feel bad that we went and I, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash left Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom out. The two I just mentioned are Sweetie Belle's friends by the way." Rarity added.

Nathan dropped his pants again, the conversation helped keep his mind off of feeling self-conscious about being naked in front of a mare as she took his measurements. "Well you can count me out, I've had enough circus time for the rest of my life. That ring master is lucky a punch and a kick was all he got from me, but he wasn't worth the effort for me to do more to him."

"Not to worry, we won't make you go back there. I would imagine it would be the last place you'd want to go." Rarity finished her measurements. "You may pull your pants up now Nathan." He did so as Rarity jotted down the measurements on a notepad in her aura. "Oooh, this is so fascinating." Her giddiness started to show. "I've never designed an outfit for a creature with your physique, this will be quit the challenge." She said as she beamed.

"Look, I don't need anything fancy, just some regular everyday clothes." Nathan said.

"Yes, of course dear, not to worry, I'll have you a new set of clothes in no time." Rarity stated with a smile. "Just one more thing Nathan, would you mind explaining human fashion?" She asked.

"Well, to be honest, I'm not really all that picky on what I wear. Though, I am keen on a country western look. The band I was with was a country music type band. So…"

Rarity interrupted. "Say no more, I'll have something to suit you just fine momentarily." She then set to work.

Minutes passed as Rarity worked on an outfit for Nathan. The girls and Sweetie Belle talked amongst themselves as they waited to see what Rarity would make for him. Eventually, she trotted down the stairs and called out to them. "My friends, I give you…Nathan." She said with a flair of her left hoof pointing to Nathan.

He slowly descended the stairs and into everypony's view. "Oh my." Fluttershy stated.

"Whoa." Rainbow expressed.

"Well I'll be." Applejack said with a smile.

"Wow, you look good." Pinkie said.

"Thanks." Nathan said. He was wearing a red and white plaid button up shirt with blue jeans held up by a brown belt and an oval almost gold colored belt buckle. His feet were covered by a pair of brown western boots. Atop his head rested a Stetson hat with a black band around the base. "Pretty neat huh? Rarity did a great job." He said as he looked himself over. He tapped his left heel twice to get a good feel for the boots. He was also wearing a brown jacket with white fluff on the inside and the color of it folded down around his neck.

"Wow Nathan, you look nice." Twilight stated.

"Thanks Rarity, I really like this outfit you made me." Nathan said as he turned to the fashionista.

She waved a hoof. "No thanks necessary dearie, I'm just glad to help."

He gave a slightly stern look. "Now miss Rarity, I ain't about ta let ya get away without some form o' gratitude." He said in a country western accent. "A true gentleman never lets a lady go without a thank ya for an act o' kindness."

Sweetie Belle finally walked up to him and looked up at him. She was still curiuos about Nathan and wanted to get a good look at him.

Nathan looked down at her and got a good look at Sweetie Belle this time. He couldn't help but smile as he thought how cute she looked. He kneeled down on his right knee, rested his right arm on his left leg, and spoke. "Sweetie Belle, you are, without a doubt, the cutest thing I ever did see."

Sweetie Belle blushed a little.

Nathan then put his left hand at the side of her head and rubbed lightly. Sweetie Belle closed her eyes in content. The others smiled at the scene. Nathan suddenly scooped Sweetie Belle up in his arms as he stood up and held her out in front of him. "So, you ever been given a piggy back ride?" He asked.

Sweetie cocked an eyebrow at the question. "A what?"

Nathan didn't answer. Instead, he placed her on his back with her hind legs and flank supported by his hands while her forelegs hung over his shoulders. "This is a piggy back ride." He then gave a light jog around the room. Sweetie Belle squealed in delight and was giggling up a storm. Nathan then went into a kind of gallop, letting her bounce in his arms. Sweetie Belle continued to laugh more in enjoyment.

"Well aint that something." Applejack said as she watched the scene.

"Gosh, that looks like fun." Pinkie stated. "Can I go next?" She asked.

After a while, Nathan stopped and set Sweetie Belle down. "So, how'd you like that?" He asked, breathing a little hard.

"That was fun, can I do it again sometime?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Sure thing." His stomach let out a growl.

"Sound's like somepony is hungry." Pinkie pointed out. "Or should I say human?"

Nathan gave a sheepish laugh. "Heh heh, yeah, guess with everything that's happened, I kinda forgot how hungry I was."

"Well what are we waiting for, let's eat." Pinkie stated as she quickly zipped to Rarity's kitchen and began to cook up a storm.

Rarity went in to help. Twilight and Applejack went to get a few extra chairs Rarity had for the table and set them up.

"Anything I can do to help?" Nathan asked.

"It's okay Nathan, we got this." Twilight said.

"How about some music to work to?" He offered. "I could play you all a song while you work.

"That sounds mighty nice, sure thing sugar cube." Applejack said.

Nathan went over to the table and sat down in a chair, then grabbed his guitar and gave it a few test strums. "Normally, the band I was with played country music, but I also like rock and roll type music. Another thing, that ring master that held me prisoner enchanted my guitar so whenever I play music, you can hear the full effect, meaning you'll hear the other instruments that are played for the song. It was something he did for his own amusement and made me play for him alone. It would be nice to be able to play for others. This song is called, the last man standing. It's from a music artist from my world named Bon Jovi." Those that weren't helping set up dinner gathered around to listen. Nathan began to play, his guitar started to glow yellow and the music started up.

(Bon Jovi, The Las Man Standing.)

Once he was done, he was met with a round of applause from every pony and dinner was ready. "That…was so….AWESOME!" Rainbow Dash expressed.

"Gosh, I've never heard music like that before." Spike said.

"Not really my cup of tea, but it was enjoyable." Rarity stated.

"I thought it sounded nice." Sweetie Belle said.

"I'll say , that really made me want to dance." Pinkie expressed.

Nathan gave a smile. "I'm glad you all liked it, maybe later, I'll play another song for you girls." He offered.

"That would be nice, thank you Nathan." Fluttershy said.

Nathan let his guitar lean against the table next to him as the others gathered around the table to eat. Pinkie and Rarity had made some veggie burgers for everypony with some hayfries.

Nathan eyed the food at first. He decided to try the hayfries first. He picked one up and took a bite. "Hmm, not bad, tastes like French fries."

"French fries?" Twilight questioned.

"They're like these hayfries, but they're made out of potatoes." Nathan explained. He then picked up the burger and took a bite of that to try. "Mmmm." He moaned out in pleasure. The burger may have been made from veggies, but it tasted almost as good as a regular burger. Plus, this was the first decent meal he's had in a long time. He didn't waste time and chowed down. The girls watched him go. Rarity and Twilight with a bit of disgust, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Spike and Sweetie with confusion, and Pinkie Pie with a straight face.

Nathan paused halfway through his burger when he noticed the looks he was getting. "Sorry." He said with a mouthful. He then swallowed and continued. "It's just this is the first decent meal I've had in a long time, it's really good. Almost as good as a regular hamburger."

This got everypony to look at him in confusion. "A…hamburger?" Spike questioned.

"What's that?" Rainbow asked.

"A hamburger is a meat patty made from cow meat with whatever else you might want on it." An awkward silence filled the room after that sentence. Nathan soon realized why. "Oh…uh…well….oh boy." He was speechless.

"Nathan….what kind of diet do humans have?" Twilight asked.

Nathan set his burger down and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Well….humans are….omnivorous…meaning….we can eat fruits and vegetables as well….as….meat. But, I would never dream of eating a pony. It's not like we go around killing other animals like wild animals or anything." He tried to amend.

"Nathan, cows in this world are smart like us." Applejack said with an uneasy look. "They talk and think just like anypony."

"Well then, that means cow will be off the menu." Nathan stated. "I'm not about to go killing an animal that can talk."

The group seemed to ease up a bit at his words. "Well, while it isn't really that big an issue, it's understandable." Twilight said. "There are gryphons in Equestria and they eat meat."

"And….some of my animal friends eat meat too." Fluttershy said. "So….um…it doesn't really….bother me that much either."

Nathan gave a sigh. "Oh good, I was afraid I might've gotten chased out or something."

With that out of the way, the tension left and everypony continued to eat.

After the meal, it was now time for every pony to head on home. Goodbyes said and Nathan was making his way through town to Fluttershy's place with his guitar on his back. "Nathan?" Fluttershy said.

Nathan looked to Fluttershy. "Yes Fluttershy?"

"Um…since you…eat meat….um…..I…I could show you a place where I usually get some for some of my animal friends." She stated. "It's a….fairly new shop run by a gryphon. Since Ponyville started getting some visits from gryphons, one opened a place to eat that serves meat. He caters to everypony's need. He serves not just gryphons but ponies too.0"

"Really? Thank you Fluttershy, that would be helpful." Nathan said with a smile.

Fluttershy gave a smile back.

**AN: The song I placed in this fic is the one that gave me the idea on how to start this fic out. Hope you all are liking it so far.**


	3. Chapter Three: Odd Aquantances

**Chapter Three: Odd Acquantances**

Upon arriving at Fluttershy's cottage, the sun was starting to set over the horizon. Fluttershy lead Nathan into her home and was greeted by a little white bunny. "Oh, hello Angel, it's good to see you again." She greeted the little rabbit. "Angel, this is Nathan, he's going to be staying with us." The rabbit looked past Fluttershy and up to Nathan.

Nathan got down on one knee and tipped his hat with a smile. "Howdy."

Angel just returned a mean look. "Now angel, be nice, he's our guest now, so behave yourself okay?" Fluttershy said. Angel hopped away without a gesture.

"Aint he cute?" Nathan said a bit sarcastically.

Fluttershy didn't pick up on it as she responded. "He is adorable, but he can be troublesome sometimes." She turned to face Nathan. "Come on, I'll show you to your room."

Nathan stood back up and gave a bow. "After you mam." He said in a country accent again.

Fluttershy let out a small giggle. She led Nathan up a flight of stairs to a small hallway with two doors on either side. "The room on the right is my room, so if you should need anything, feel free to let me know. The room on the left is yours." Fluttershy opened the door to it and revealed a room with a bed on the left side of the room against the wall and a small dresser on the opposite. There was a door to a bathroom next to it. "I hope it's okay for you."

Nathan walked in and inspected the room. "Looks just fine to me, this will do." He gave a smile to Fluttershy.

Fluttershy smiled back. "I'm glad. Will you be going to bed now or would you like me to show you around some more?"

Nathan eyed the bed, its warm comforting embrace calling out to him. Nathan began to feel tired. "I think I'll call it a night, that bed looks so inviting. Besides, I've had a rough day, or a rough few months. I haven't had a decent night's sleep in ages." Nathan removed his guitar from his back and leaned it up against the dresser.

"Okay then, I'll just let you get settled. See you in the morning, goodnight." Fluttershy started heading out of the room.

"Goodnight Fluttershy." Nathan said back. He promptly sat on the bed and removed his clothing except his underwear. He lay himself down and covered up with the blanket. "Oh sweet comfort how I missed you." He stated with a grin. The bed was a bit small but he was able to fit in it just barely, his feet nearly up against the end board. The bed felt so cozy to him he almost immediately fell asleep in bliss.

Morning came and Nathan reluctantly got out of bed. He enjoyed his sleep so much and found the bed so comfortable, he just didn't want to get out, but the smell of breakfast caught his nose and drove him to get out and get dressed. "I'm gonna have to see if Rarity would be willing to make me other sets of clothes." He stated to himself. He dawned his coat, grabbed his guitar, left his room and made his way downstairs and found his way to the kitchen. There, he found Fluttershy cooking up some pancakes.

She turned and noticed him with a smile. "Good morning Nathan, did you sleep well?"

Nathan took a seat at the kitchen table. "Best sleep I had in a long time, thanks. That bed was the most comfortable thing I slept in in a long time."

"Glad to hear it." Fluttershy turned back to her stove as she continued to cook. "So, um, I guess I should take you on a tour of the town if you want to." She offered.

"That would be nice, but I don't want to get in the way of whatever job you might have."

Fluttershy removed a few flap jacks from the pan onto a plate. "Don't worry, I got up early and already took care of my animal friends."

"If you say so." Nathan stated with a shrug. It was then Angel hopped onto the table to wait for breakfast. Nathan decided to see if he could get on the bunny's good side. "Good morning Angel Bunny."

Angel faced Nathan with a hard glare.

Nathan raised his hands in defense as if lasers would shoot out of the bunny's eyes. "Whoa there buddy, it was just a greeting."

Angel turned his head away in a huff.

"Sheesh, so much for cute and cuddly." Nathan commented under his breath. Breakfast was soon served and Nathan enjoyed every bite as he moaned out in pleasure. "Oh so good." He commented. "Fluttershy, I have to say this is the best thing I have ever eaten." He said with a mouthful.

Fluttershy blushed at the compliment. "Oh, I'm sure they're not that good."

Nathan stopped his eating, rested his elbow on the table and pointed his fork at her. "Fluttershy, while this is the second decent meal I've had in six months, that doesn't change the fact these are good pancakes. You are a good cook, learn to take a compliment when it's given."

"Well, okay, if you say so, thank you Nathan." Fluttershy said as she turned her head slightly away, hiding half her face behind her pink mane.

"_Damn she's cute when she does that." _Nathan thought. He continued eating. "You're welcome." Once Breakfast was done, Fluttershy led Nathan back into town to give him a proper tour of the place. Shortly after they had entered the town, Nathan started getting a strange feeling. "Fluttershy, you ever get the feeling your being watched?"

Fluttershy looked at Nathan curiously. "Well, you kind of are being watched Nathan. You know, with everypony staring at you. I'm sorry about that by the way."

"No not that, I mean like, someone is watching you secretly, like they're hiding while looking at you." Nathan stated as he looked around. He did notice a few of the ponies in town looking at him curiously but he felt there was a set of eyes watching him that were unaccounted for.

"Um, well, I don't think so." Fluttershy stated. "Should I feel like that?"

"Probably just my imagination." Nathan stated. He chanced a look behind him as they walked. Fluttershy looked up at him first, then followed his gaze only to see no pony behind them. Nathan and Fluttershy faced forward and were startled by the sudden appearance of a pony in front of them. "WHOA!" Nathan exclaimed as he took a step back.

"Yah!" Flutteshy yelped and dropped to the ground covering her face with her hooves.

"What the hell?" Standing in front of Nathan and Fluttershy was a pink, very fluffy four legged fluff ball of a pony with blue eyes staring at him. "Uh…hi?" Nathan said carefully.

The fluffy pony let out a smile and a small gasp.

Fluttershy finally chanced a look and saw the pony in front of them. She stood up and spoke. "Oh, hello there Fluffle Puff, you kind of scared us."

Nathan looked to Fluttershy in confusion. "Fluffle Puff?"

Fluttershy commenced introductions. "Nathan, this is Fluffle Puff. Fluffle Puff, this is Nathan, he's new in town."

Nathan looked back at the fluffy pony named Fluffle Puff. "Hi there, nice to meet you."

"Pfft."

Nathan paused a moment. "Um…excuse me?"

"Pfft."

Nathan's confusion grew as the only response he could get from this fluffy four legged fur ball was a series of raspberries. "Fluttershy….um…why is this pony giving me raspberries?"

Fluttershy looked to Nathan to respond. "That's…kind of how she talks."

"That's how she talks? But how does anyone understand her?"

"It takes a while but eventually you pick up on it." Fluttershy stated.

"So, you understand her then?"

"Mmhmm, it took a while."

Nathan looked back to Fluffle Puff. "Well, a pleasure to meet you Fluffle Puff."

"Pfft."

Nathan looked to Fluttershy for a translation.

"She said hello." Fluttershy said.

"Um, okay, so….would you…like to join us? Fluttershy is just giving me a tour of your town." Nathan asked.

Fluffle Puff let out another small gasp with a smile and started jumping for joy at the idea.

Nathan couldn't help but smile. "I'll take that as a yes." He then looked to Fluttershy. "You don't mind do you?"

Fluttershy shook her head. "I don't mind."

"All right then, lead the way." Nathan waved his hand. The trio then began their walk through town as Fluttershy pointed out certain points of interest of the town.

The first place Fluttershy pointed out was a sweets shop called Bon Bon's sweets. At the front of the store stood two ponies Fluttershy introduced as Bon Bon and Lyra Heartstrings. As Nathan walked by the shop and waved to them, the earth pony named Bon Bon had a surprised look while the unicorn identified as Lyra had a huge smile on her face and was dancing on her hooves sparatically with glee. She certainly seemed very excited to see Nathan for some reason.

The next place Fluttershy took Nathan by was Town hall, then she showed him Twilight's place which was the Golden Oaks Library. Before the tour could continue though, a shout rang out. "NAAAATHAAAAAAN!"

"What the…..?!" Nathan tried to turn around to see what the shout was but got halfway through his turn when something ran right up to him and under his legs, getting him on the back of something running fast. "WHOA!" All he could do in his surprise was wrapped his arms around the neck of his kidnapper.

"Hey Nathan, I'm glad I found you." A familiar voice said.

Once Nathan got a good look, he realized he was on the back of a pink pony with a fluffy mane. "Pinkie Pie? What are you doing? What's going on?!" He asked.

"It's time for your welcome to Ponyville party silly!" Pinkie explained as she continued her gallop through town.

"Welcome to Ponyville Party?" Nathan asked.

"Yup, it's about to start, and we can't have a welcome to Ponyville party four you without you." Pinkie soon came to a screeching halt in front of a building that looked like a two story gingerbread house with a cupcake on top.

Nathan climbed off Pinkie's back and looked up at the building. "Wow, nice place, what is it?" It was then Fluttershy and Fluffle Puff caught up. Fluttershy looked the most out of breath.

"Hey you two, glad you made it." Pinkie greeted happily.

"Um, Pinkie, why did you suddenly run up and carry Nathan off like that?" Fluttershy asked.

"Oh my gosh! Didn't I send you two invites to the welcome to Ponyville party?!" Pinkie asked with a surprised look.

"Um, no?" Fluttershy answered.

"Pfft." Fluffle responded.

"Oops, sorry, guess I got super excited about it." Pinkie said. "Well, you're here now, come on in and let's part!" Pinkie exclaimed. "Nathan, welcome to Sugar Cube Corner." Pinkie led Nathan into the sweet looking building with Fluttershy and Fluffle behind.

"Wow, nice set up." Nathan commented with a smile upon seeing the inside. Streamers, balloons, games, and tables with sweets were set up all over the place and full of ponies here to have fun and welcome Nathan to the town. _"I'll admit, some of the games seem a bit….juvenile, but it looks like she put in a lot of effort into this, I'll just go ahead and enjoy myself." _Nathan thought to himself.

Pinkie suddenly hopped up on a table. "All right everypony, before we get started, I'd like to thank you all for coming to welcome the newest member of our town, the human named Nathan!" Pinkie cheered. Nathan gave a sheepish smile and wave. Some ponies gave smiles back, others looked on curiously at the bi-ped. Pinkie continued. "Nathan here was made a prisoner of that circus that came to town when he first got here six months ago and treated like an animal, it was so unfair. Luckily though, thanks to me and my friends….well….mainly Twilight Sparkle and princess Celestia, he's a free pony now. So let's all make him feel welcome and get THIS PARTY STARTED!" Pinkie cheered as she leapt into the air.

With that, a white unicorn mare near the back at a mixing table started the music and the party was under way. Nathan decided to try some of the sweets first and went over to one of the tables that held the delectable delecacies. He grabbed a slice of chocolate cake on a paper plate with a plastic fork and leaned against the table to eat it. As he did, the two ponies he saw earlier in front of the sweets shop approached him, Bon Bon with a casual smile and Lyra with an excited grin as she hopped next to Bon Bon. "Wow, this is so cool, a whole new species in Equestria." Lyra stated.

"Easy Lyra, we don't want to scare him." Bon Bon stated.

Nathan gave a chuckle. "Heh heh, relax, I don't scare easy. So, let me guess, Your Lyra Heartstrings, and you must be Bon Bon, the one that owns that sweets shop right?"

"That's right, I'm guessing Fluttershy told you." Bon Bon said.

"She did, it's nice to meet you. Gotta say, I always did have a sweet tooth, you can be sure I'll be coming by your shop for whatever sweets you may have." Nathan said with a smile.

"Glad to hear it." Lyra stated. "I have so many questions for you about what you are."

"Can they wait, I'd kind of like a chance to relax a bit first with this party."

Lyra gave a pout. "Fine." She responded dejectedly.

"So, I hope this isn't too personal, if it is, you don't have to answer but….do you two live together?" Nathan asked.

"Yeah, we're roommates, Lyra helps me out at my shop so I let her stay in the extra room I have." Bon Bon explained followed by a smirk. "Part of her job is my taste tester, so I'm surprised she doesn't have a big belly by now."

"Bon Bon!" Lyra whined as she scrunched her nose in agitation.

Both Bon Bon and Nathan laughed at her expense. Nathan then smiled as he got an idea. "Hey Lyra, tell you what, how about on the days I come by the sweet shop, I'll let you ask me three questions you may have."

"Only three? Why?" Lyra whined out.

"Because I don't want to spend a whole day answering questions, besides, it will give you a chance to think of what questions you really want to ask me and prepare for my visits. Don't worry, once I find myself a job around here, I'll most likely be coming by every day for sweets, so you'll have a chance each day to ask me something, does that sound good?"

Lyra's frown was quickly replaced with a grin. "You bet it does, all right then, you're on." She extended her hoof for a shake.

Nathan took hold of Lyra's hoof and shook. "Looks like we have a deal." Bon Bon smirked with an eye roll at the exchange.

"Pfft."

"AH!" All three exclaimed as Fluffle seemed to appear out of nowhere next to Nathan.

"Fluffle, you really need to stop sneaking up on ponies." Bon Bon scolded.

"Pfft."

Nathan looked at Fluffle first, then to the two ponies. "I don't suppose either of you caught that did you?"

"She said sorry." Lyra said.

"Pfft." Fluffle let out again.

"And she was wondering about your guitar." Bon Bon said.

Nathan gave another curious look to Fluffle. He then smiled and put his now empty plate on the table. "What, this?" Nathan brought his guitar to his front and presented it to fluffle. "Nice huh? What do you think?"

At first, she quickly brought her head into her fur like a turtle hiding in its shell and only her eyes could be seen. She scooted a little closer, then raised a hoof and kind of pawed at the strings to strum it. Nathan rolled his eyes. "Careful now, this guitar is very special to me."

"Why's that partner." Applejack asked as she approached with a smile.

Nathan looked to Applejack as he stood up. "Hey Applejack, I was showing Fluffle my guitar, she seems rather interested in it."

Applejack gave a light chuckle. "I'm not surprised, ain't too many ponies that can play the guitar around here. So what were you sayin about that guitar bein special?"

Nathan began to explain. "This guitar was a gift from my parents on my thirteenth birthday. I had shown interest in becoming a musician ever since I started liking country music. They got me this guitar and did whatever they could to help me reach my goal of playing for a band. They were very supportive of me. I've been doing everything I can to keep this guitar in top shape ever since then. This is like a symbol of my parents love for me. This guitar is the most important thing I have in my possession." Nathan looked his guitar over with a small sad smile.

"Gosh, that's really nice Nathan." Lyra stated.

"Yeah, sounds like your parents really cared about you." Bon Bon added.

"Yeah, they did." Nathan said quietly.

"You gonna be all right there sugar cube?" Applejack asked with concern.

Nathan looked up from his guitar to Applejack. "Yeah, I'll be fine. It's just sometimes I really miss my folks, but there's not much I can do about that, I'm pretty much stuck here." He placed his guitar back on his back. "So I might as well make the best of it. I don't suppose you know of any places that might be hiring I could work at for a job do you Applejack?"

Applejack thought a moment before responding. "Hey, I know, why don't you come work fer me and my family on our orchard, we could always use a little extra help."

"An orchard huh? What kind of orchard?" Nathan asked.

"An apple orchard." Applejack stated.

"Sure, I don't mind a little hard labor. I may have lived the life of a country star, but I'm not afraid to roll up my sleeves and get a little dirty. You can count on me." Nathan said with a smile.

"Welcome aboard partner." Applejack spat in her hoof and extended it for a shake. Bon Bon and Lyra recoiled at the sight while Nathan just looked at it. "I'm not touching that hoof."

"I thought you said you weren't afraid to get a little dirty?" Applejack asked waringly.

"I'm not, but there are limits I have, and that is one of them."

Applejack rolled her eyes. "Fine." She lowered her spit covered hoof and extended her clean one.

Nathan accepted and the two shook. "Looking forward to working with you boss."

Applejack smirked. "Don't you go callin me boss Nathan, just Applejack is fine."

Nathan responded with a smile. "Whatever you say boss."

Applejack let out a giggle at Nathan's joke.

**AN: First off, those who don't know who Fluffle Puff is, go to youtube and look up Fluffle Puff tales. They are a series of short funny videos starring this fluffy pony. They are very funny in my opinion. Second, I would like to give my thanks to all of you for supporting me in my writing endeavors. Thank you so much for your support.**


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